NickOnPlanetRipple

I've been busy working on Planet Ripple Volume 4. I'm trying to release a new book every April and make that a tradition, and last year, I'd only whipped up about 45 pages by the time I got serious about it towards the end of November... out of a book that wound up being over 170 pages long. I spent so much time on all my other projects and procrastinated with PR that I ended up exhausting myself just to get volume 3 out in time. Oh, it's not that I rushed it, quite the opposite. I spent my every waking moment on it for a while, any time I could afford myself. I finished it in march, and stopped working just in time cause, well, it was starting to take a toll on my health. Mentally and physically. I was sluggish, starting to have little panic attacks throughout the day, easy to stress out, I needed a break. I needed to detox. And I did before long. But still, I worked myself too hard and didn't realize what I was doing to myself 'til right at the end.

I didn't want that to happen again this year. So, I've been hauling butt while I still feel relatively good, so I can relax and pace myself as I start to feel worn out later on. Last year around the end of this month I'd only done about 45 pages. This time? A few weeks ahead, and I'm at 104. I've changed a few things about my daily routine, started going to bed earlier, etc. It's done wonders to keep me going. I used to drag my feet throughout the day, bunching things up in the later hours and then acting so surprised that I was tired the next day. Pretty stupid, right?

I think, at the current rate I'm going, I should reach the end of this book by... December! Like, early December. Just over a month, if even that! I won't RELEASE it then (going to need time to get proofs and make sure it's acceptable for print,) but I can juggle that with commissions and other things.

I bring this up 'cause, I'll be frank, I'm on a roll with this, I've got a really nice flow going, I've NEVER felt this healthy while working so hard... and if I hit a speed bump right now, I'll lose that momentum. The big things that makes me feel bad about this are the commissions I still owe people. I think I have five on the backburner right now that I really should've finished already, but... I just don't want to be where I was last year, guys. I don't want to feel like crap again, I can't go back to that. Maybe I'm paranoid that something will come up and suddenly I won't be able to work at all for a month or two straight, and then have to crrrruuunnnch to meet the deadline. I know it looks pathetic, I know it's unacceptable, and I won't ever make people wait this long for commissions ever again, but if you'll just give me another, say, five weeks to finish this up, as soon as I reach the end of the book, I'll just take a week off from everything else to catch up on those. Like a week where I don't go out and do anything but binge on those commissions I owe you.

I know the wait has been kinda long, I didn't expect things to play out like they have, but it isn't going to be much longer. If you can just hold out for me while I finish this work, I would be grateful. That's all I ask for at this point.